Freedom Force (1988 video game)

Not to be confused with Freedom Force (2002 video game).
Freedom Force
NES cover art
Developer(s)Sunsoft[1]
Publisher(s)Sunsoft
Producer(s)
  • Kiharu Yoshida
  • Joe Robbins
Designer(s)
  • Richard Robbins
  • Michael Mendheim
Programmer(s)
  • Hiroaki Higashiya
  • Tomomi Sakai
Artist(s)
  • Yasuyuki Osada
  • Katsunori Kobayashi
  • Rieko Sakai
Composer(s)Naoki Kodaka
Platform(s)Nintendo Entertainment System
Arcade
ReleaseNES
Arcade
Genre(s)Light gun shooter, action[1]
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer (arcade)
Arcade systemNintendo VS. System

Freedom Force is a video game developed and published by Sunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988. The player takes the role of a sharpshooter in a counter-terrorist organization. This is one of the few games to require the NES Zapper light gun accessory. The game was released in arcades on the Nintendo VS. System as VS. Freedom Force that year.

In January 1988, it was announced as a 1-megabit cartridge at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show.[3]

Gameplay

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Players assume the role of an anti-terrorist gunman who must kill terrorists without shooting any of their hostages. Different levels include an airport that has been taken over by the terrorists and a city street. The game has some blood, but it lacks gore; a small red splotch appears on the chest of the hit targets.

The screen scrolls from left to right, with terrorists or hostages popping out of windows and doors. Unlike other shooters, the powerups (being either energy, ammo or weapons) are obtained by shooting the lower-right box when an item appears there.

After every two stages, a bonus game can be played for bonus points. This bonus game is a word game similar to Hangman, in which the player shoots letters to uncover the word. During this game, the player can have 5 misses. If the player gets 5 wrong letters or the timer runs out, the bonus game ends without any earned bonus points. If the word is completely revealed, the player gets a time bonus.

Reception

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At Winter CES in 1988, Computer Entertainer said "This one is definitely not for the squeamish, but it should be very popular with those who enjoy the more violent games."[3] In July 1988, it reported that Freedom Force was Sunsoft's "best game yet. And they've made the best use yet of the Zapper light gun by building a game around a theme that's as topical as the evening news: the taking of hostages by terrorists".[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "NES release information". GameFAQs. Retrieved August 12, 2008.
  2. ^ "Arcade release information". GameFAQs. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Nintendo Makes Big Impression at CES". Computer Entertainer. Vol. 6, no. 10. January 1988. p. 10. Retrieved July 15, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ "The Video Game Update: Nintendo Software". Computer Entertainer. Vol. 7, no. 4. July 1988. p. 10. Retrieved July 13, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
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